On September 29–30, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya participated in the Warsaw Security Forum, which annually gathers over 2,500 participants from 80 countries, including heads of government, presidents, ministers, and experts. The central theme of this year’s forum was maintaining unity amid the growing threat from Russia. Participants included the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Prime Minister of Poland, Donald Tusk, the former US Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations, Kurt Volker, as well as foreign ministers from France, Poland, Lithuania, Ukraine, and other countries.
Ms. Tsikhanouskaya spoke twice: on the first day, during the discussion “Hope Under Pressure: Belarus’ Democratic Struggle”, and on the second day, on the main stage in the panel “The Unbroken: Fight for Democratic Sovereignty in a Hostile Neighborhood”.
She addressed the threats to Belarus’ sovereignty and independence, the risk of Belarus being drawn into war, as well as the need to free political prisoners and support those repressed. She called for enabling Belarusian mobility through simplified migration procedures and visa issuance. She also urged support for independent media, human rights defenders, cultural projects, and civil society initiatives.
During the forum, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya held a series of bilateral meetings, including with:
- Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland, Radosław Sikorski;
- Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, Kęstutis Budrys;
- Mayor of Warsaw, Rafał Trzaskowski;
- former United States Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations, Kurt Volker;
- President of Georgia, Salomé Zourabichvili;
- EU Special Representative for Human Rights, Kaisa Olongrén;
- UK Shadow Foreign Secretary, MP Priti Patel;
- Head of Global Magnitsky Justice campaign, Bill Browder;
- National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of Slovakia, Miroslav Lajčák;
- MEP, Co-President of the Euronest PA, Sergey Lagodinsky.
Discussions focused on:
- the Zapad-2025 military exercise;
- its implications for Belarus;
- further steps in securing the release of political prisoners with US administration involvement;
- support for repressed individuals;
- security threats;
- possible developments in Belarus.
The forum provided an opportunity to place the Belarusian issue high on the international agenda.
Ms. Tsikhanouskaya also took part in an informal leaders’ meeting and a working lunch for forum speakers. She gave interviews to TVN24, TVP World, Polish Radio, Radio Trójka, Norwegian outlet VG, as well as Polsat News, Le Devoir, and Libération.
